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Highlights • Smaller portion sizes are associated with lower energy intake. • We test a norm range model of the portion size effect on intended intake. • A wide range of portion sizes were perceived as normal. • Portions perceived as normal did not prompt intended compensatory eating. • Portions perceived as smaller than normal prompted intended compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite researchers considering time of day an important variable in studies on implicit food evaluations and food intake, time of day effects on implicit food evaluations have yet to be tested. Positive implicit evaluations of unhealthy food stimuli measured with an implicit association test (IAT) predict behaviour toward those stimuli, and are assumed to reflect automatic reactions outside of conscious awareness and control. However, recent research has revealed controlled processing to have an influence on IAT performance. The current study tested time of day effects on implicit evaluations of unhealthy food measured with an IAT, and specifically on automatic and controlled processes underlying IAT performance. A sample of 304 undergraduate women aged 17–25 years completed a single-category IAT at varying times of the day. Results revealed that participation later in the day was associated with a more positive implicit evaluation of unhealthy food. This was mediated by a decrease in the ability to inhibit positive food reactions (i.e., controlled processing), rather than an increase in automatic positive reactions. The findings draw attention to the importance of considering time of day in studies measuring aspects of implicit cognition using tasks such as the IAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, self-control has been conceptualized as the effortful overcoming of desires in order to enact goal-consistent behavior. Several researchers have suggested that instead, self-control is effortless, as individuals with high self-control experience less intense desire that conflicts with valued goals. The current study tested whether the relationship between trait self-control and snack intake was mediated by desire strength, or whether those with higher trait self-control were better able to overcome desire to indulge in unhealthy food, controlling for aspects of the food environment and goal motivation. A sample of women with the goal of eating healthily for weight management ( N = 134) completed a lab-based assessment of snack food consumption and self-report measures of desire strength and trait self-control (generic self-control, and both inhibitory and initiatory subcomponents). As expected, desire strength mediated the relationship between generic self-control and intake, such that higher self-control was related to lower snack intake indirectly via lower desire strength. The relationship between desire and intake was consistent across self-control levels. The same pattern of results emerged for both inhibitory and initiatory self-control. These findings support the contemporary conceptualization of self-control as being effortless due to the reduced strength of unhealthy desires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study sought to test the effect of a brief evaluative conditioning intervention on experienced temptation to indulge, and consumption of, unhealthy snack foods. We expected that a training task associating unhealthy food with negative affect would result in lower experienced temptation across the sample, but would lead to lower snack consumption only among individuals with low state inhibitory control. Undergraduate women ( N = 134) aged 17–25 years were randomised to complete an evaluative conditioning procedure pairing unhealthy food with either positive or negative affect. Snack consumption was subsequently assessed using a taste-test procedure which offered four snack foods for ad libitum consumption. Participants also reported the strength of their experienced temptation to indulge in the foods presented. Additionally, they completed a Stop Signal Task as a measure of state inhibitory control. As predicted, participants in the food negative condition ate less than those in the food positive condition, but this effect was only observed among individuals with low inhibitory control. The same moderation pattern was observed for the effect of evaluative conditioning on temptation: only participants with low inhibitory control reported feeling less tempted by the snack foods in the food negative condition compared to the food positive condition. In addition, temptation mediated the effect of evaluative conditioning on intake for individuals with low inhibitory control. Findings suggest that evaluative conditioning of unhealthy food stimuli could be especially useful for reducing temptation and consumption of unhealthy snacks in situations where individuals experience low inhibitory control capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is associated with a significant disease burden, but whether recognising as opposed to failing to recognise personal overweight is beneficial or detrimental to mental health is unclear. Here we examine the associations between perceived overweight and depressive symptoms and suicidality. A systematic search of three electronic databases yielded 10,398 unique records, from which 32 studies (110 observations) were eligible for inclusion. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for each outcome using random effects meta-analyses and potential publication bias was examined. Perceived overweight was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms (OR: 1.42, CI: 1.31, 1.54 p <.0001, N >128,585) and suicidality (OR: 1.41, CI: 1.28, 1.56, p <.0001, N = 133,576) in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The association between perceived overweight and poorer mental health was observed irrespective of study origin, participant age (children vs. adults), gender, and whether or not a person was objectively overweight. The pooled statistical relationship between objective weight status and poorer mental health was attenuated to non-significance when perceived overweight was accounted for, suggesting that the detrimental effect of overweight on mental health is largely dependent on whether or not a person identifies as overweight. • Perceived overweight was associated with increased depression and suicidality in this systematic review and meta-analysis • Weight perception also explained the relationship between BMI and mental health • Results were consistent across multiple subgroup and sensitivity analyses • However, heterogeneity and the inclusion of only observational data limit the strength of conclusions • Results highlight the importance of the psychological experience of overweight in mental health [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]